Official Honours for several influential members of the Victorian music community

29 Jan 2019

Over the weekend, a few hugely influential members of the Victorian music community were awarded with official honours on Australia Day.

Danzal Baker (aka Baker Boy) was announced as winner of the Young Australian of the Year award – recognised for his work across rap, dance, acting and graffiti.Baker Boy not only performed at the 2018 The Age Music Victoria Awards, but scooped the pool, winning four awards! We can't think of a more worthy recipient.

Bakehouse Studios owners Helen Marcou and Quincy McLean were awarded with Order of Australia medals for their service to the music industry as promoters and advocates of live performance.

As the co-founders of grassroots movement SLAM (Save Live Australia's Music), Helen and Quincy spearheaded and staged the SLAM rally of 2010 where 20,000 protesters marched on Parliament House in Melbourne in support of Live Music. The SLAM rally was described as “the largest cultural protest in Australia’s history”. Helen and Quincy continue to advocate for reforms in the contemporary music sector and have helped put live music firmly on the political agenda.

Triple R - 3RRR 102.7FM's Tim Thorpe, was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his service to broadcast media – and in particular, to community radio.

The Vital Bits host has been presenting the weekend morning program since 1993, but his shows on the Triple R airwaves go back over 30 years, including stints on the Anchovy Brothers, Axeman’s Jazz and Blokes You Can Trust.